Endgame
by Phoenix-Talon
Summary: Can a chess game change the course of someone's life? A seemingly simple chess match sends Serenity Wheeler and Seto Kaiba's lives in a tailspin, and they struggle to catch up. Meanwhile, an old friend surprises Joey as he starts his new life. Silentshipping & Polarshipping.


"So…whaddaya think?"

Serenity tried to think of something to say. Yugi made a noncommittal noise, Tristan shrugged, and Tea made a vague comment about the color of the walls. The warehouse was…unremarkable, if she were to be perfectly honest. Oh, it was very large and spacious. There was a faint smell of chlorine and gasoline. She did like the tall windows that covered most of the south wall—they brought in plenty of light.

"Well," Serenity chose her words carefully. "It's…big."

"That's kinda the point, guys" Joey grinned at her and stretched. "Just imagine Serenity—on that far wall all of my equipment, a floor jack that can lift in two places, tire-mounted steps—this place is perfect!"

"So you're really going to do it?" Tristan's voice was laced in skepticism. "You're really going to turn this place into a garage?"

"It's certainly big enough," Yugi chimed in. "And Joey's wanted his own garage since high school!"

Serenity squinted and tried to imagine. She didn't know much about mechanics or automotive equipment, but if Joey was certain that this was the perfect place for his garage, then she had to believe him.

"I like it," She turned on her heels towards him. "You'll need a lot of shelves and tables though. Are you going to build all of them on your own?"

"Of course!" He walked over to the far wall and drew a finger against the dust. "I want everything in here to have the Wheeler touch, Serenity. It's gonna all be mine!"

"He is very handy," Tea laughed. "He built Yugi and me some shelves not too long ago. He could turn this place into a garage no problem."

"Heck yeah, I can! Nothing's gonna stop us now, Serenity!"

Serenity smiled. She couldn't blame him for being excited. Since Serenity had turned eighteen, they had both moved out of their mother and father's house into an apartment of their own. Serenity's mother had been furious and she couldn't imagine how angry her father must have been—if the bruise on Joey's cheek were any indication.

"I think that sounds great, Joey. So you're going to buy this place?"

"Yep. I saw it on the way home from work one day and I just had a feeling…this is it. I'm gonna do it all here…cars, trucks, carpentry…motorcycles."

His voice faltered a little and Serenity placed a tentative hand on his arm. He was thinking of Mai. She could tell by the distant look in his eyes. In an attempt to distract him, Tea walked towards the paperwork, where the "FOR SALE" information was listed. She rifled through it and frowned suddenly.

"Um…Joey?"

"What's up?"

"This building…" She held up the paperwork. "Isn't it owned by KaibaCorp?"

His face fell. Her brother ran over to Tea and scanned the information quickly. He groaned loudly.

"You gotta be kidding me! That just figures. KaibaCorp owns half the buildings in Domino City."

"Well," Yugi said doubtfully. "Maybe he'll let you buy the place with no problem. We do all have a history together. I wouldn't call us friends exactly, but I guess we have respect for each other."

"He has respect for _you_ , Yugi," Joey corrected. "He's always hated me. He barely recognizes me as a duelist."

"Oh please," Serenity placed her hands on her hips. "You can't be serious, Joey. Kaiba couldn't be as petty as to not let you buy this place, just because of a card game rivalry!"

There was an awkward silence as the gang glanced at each other. It seemed that the group thought Kaiba could very well be that petty.

"It doesn't hurt to ask," Tea said finally. "Come on. Let's see if we can get a meeting with him."

Of course setting a meeting with Seto Kaiba was easier said than done. Mokuba needed to be called to arrange it. They agreed to meet at Kaiba's office to discuss the property.

Serenity didn't know that much about Seto Kaiba. True, she'd spent some time on his blimp (who owned a blimp?), she had seen him duel, and he showed up in the news every so often. And of course, she knew how much Joey _hated_ him. Frankly, she couldn't blame her brother. Everything told Serenity that this man was unpleasant, arrogant, and proud—qualities that she did not care for.

Yugi, ever the fair and reasonable soul, claimed there was more to Kaiba. He had seen his heart and knew how much Kaiba loved his family. But even if that were true, it didn't stop him from being an ass.

The group convened outside Kaiba Tower where Mokuba met them out front. He greeted them happily and familiarly, always with that sheepish expression that seemed to indicate he really liked the gang, but felt guilty for doing so on account of Kaiba.

Mokuba led them to a glass elevator and they all piled inside. The younger Kaiba slipped an identification card into a slot and the elevator zoomed upwards. Satisfied, Mokuba turned towards them.

"So…you wanted to buy some old warehouse from Seto?"

Joey scowled and scuffed his foot. He nodded begrudgingly.

"Well," Mokuba glanced upwards. "I don't…see _why_ he would turn down a good offer for it…I don't know why you guys need to see him directly about it though, that stuff usually goes through our accounting and real estate department."

"I already tried," Joey snapped. "They said they were reviewing my paperwork and then they wouldn't return my calls!"

Mokuba snickered a little to himself. "Yeah, that sounds like Seto."

"C'mon, Mokuba," Yugi protested. "If Kaiba had plans for that warehouse, he wouldn't be selling it! It's not fair to deny Joey the purchase just because he's Joey."

Mokuba raised his arms in defense. "I'm not the president here, Yugi. All decisions are ultimately up to Seto. I don't deny I have pull, which is why you guys get to meet with him—but if he wants to deny the offer, for whatever reason, I can't stop him."

"Let's give him the benefit of the doubt," Serenity suggested. "If Mokuba doesn't see why Kaiba would turn down a good offer for the warehouse, then he should be reasonable about it too."

The gang gave her _that look_ again, the look that indicated she was being naïve. Serenity _hated_ that look and it was even more annoying that Mokuba was giving it to her too.

"We're all adults now," She protested. "There can't still be bad blood."

She was saved another pitying look by the glass elevators opening. Mokuba gestured them to follow a long mirror-lined corridor till they reached an icy blue door. Mokuba knocked lightly and opened the door.

They were led into a sleek and spacious office. The first thing Serenity registered was how freezing the room was. The next was Seto Kaiba himself, seated behind his desk, typing away furiously.

He glanced upwards and his frosty blue eyes warmed slightly as he noticed his younger brother. When he took in the rest of the group, his eyes narrowed.

"Mokuba," Kaiba's voice was filled with warning.

"Don't get mad, Seto," Mokuba requested. "They're here on business."

Kaiba looked at them critically—Yugi, Tea, Tristan, Joey, and Serenity. Tea crossed her arms self-consciously and Joey appeared to be biting his cheeks to keep from yelling.

"What business?" Kaiba snapped.

"There's a building of yours I want to buy," Joey's voice was strangely measured as he approached Kaiba's desk. "Right here. This address. I tried to put in an offer and your department won't get back to me."

Kaiba took the paperwork and flipped through it. His expression remained blank. Uncaring. Callous.

"How much you want for it?" Joey demanded.

Kaiba tossed the paperwork off the desk. "The building is no longer for sale."

"Argh, yes it is, you jerk!" Joey shouted. "You're just saying that because _I_ want it!"

"Easy, Joey," Yugi carefully took a step between the two to keep Joey from throttling Kaiba. "I'm sure we can work this out."

"That's right," Serenity agreed. "We're all adults here."

"Fine," Joey growled. "Let's do this like adults—Kaiba, let's duel for the building!"

Kaiba pursed his lips. "Wheeler, what makes you think I'm going to duel you? Haven't I destroyed you time and time again? You're not a challenge for me. And I wasn't lying. I've already been considering offers for the building and I've decided on one."

"Yeah, I'm sure you have," Joey glowered at him. "Right after I told you I wanted it! Stop the bullshit, Kaiba! If you want to do this fair, let's duel for the building."

"I already told you, Wheeler, you're not a challenge to me. I—"

"If he's not a challenge, what about me?"

The group turned towards Serenity. She stared directly at Kaiba with a thoroughly irritated expression, arms crossed in front of her chest. Her green eyes flashed and the group took an involuntary step away from her. It was rare to see Serenity…angry.

Kaiba looked blank. "Who are you exactly?"

Serenity closed her eyes. She had a better control over her emotions than her hotheaded brother, but she still had the Wheeler temper. Living with her mother had required perpetual control over her emotions at all times, but living with Joey had loosened her restraint at this. Joey encouraged emotional expression, whether it was tears, tempers, or laughter.

"You've seen me before. I was at the Battle City tournament. I'm Joey's little sister, Serenity."

Kaiba looked like he was trying to place her and failing. Serenity sighed.

Joey recovered from his shock. "Sis, you want to duel him?!"

Serenity quickly shook her head. "No way. I want to play a different game."

Kaiba gave up on trying to recognize her and returned to his cold manner. "What kind of game?"

Serenity pointed. One of the only pieces of decoration on the wall was a framed chessboard. It was a beautiful game, inlaid with pearl and ivory. She stared directly into Kaiba's icy blue eyes and raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"You want to play chess? With _me_?"

The amused scorn in Kaiba's voice made Serenity smile. He was laughing at her—but he was still intrigued.

"Yes," She said calmly. "I have a board and set I would like to use."

She opened her messenger bag and pulled out a lightweight wooden box and folded board. She unfolded it gently and Yugi actually gasped at the craftsmanship. Everything from the hinges on the board to delicate box was carved by hand. Yugi also noted that her board had raised bumps up and down the black and white squares.

Kaiba found his voice. "You just carry a chess set and board wherever you go?"

"It's special to me," Serenity replied. "And anyway, don't you carry a duel disk and cards everywhere you go?"

The duelists of the group glanced at each other sheepishly (save Kaiba, who merely glowered). Serenity had a point but wasn't it a little unfair to compare a nerdy chess set with a tool that created holographic monsters?

"Well?" Serenity tucked her board under her arm. "What'll it be, Kaiba? Are you up for it? Or do you only play games with flashy holograms? Can you even _play_ chess anymore?"

Kaiba's eyes flashed and for a brief instant, Serenity wondered if it was a bad idea to taunt him. Still, it seemed to work. Kaiba stood and circled his desk towards them.

"All right, little Wheeler," He sneered. "I'll bite. White or black?"

"Black."

"Wait a second," Tristan protested. "Serenity—this is a bad idea. You don't need to prove anything to this jerk!"

Serenity fixed a steely gaze on her friend. "I'm not proving anything, Tristan. I'm offering to play a game so my brother can buy Kaiba's property. Actually, if we look historically, chess games have been used to broker business deals for centuries."

"Wait a second, Serenity," Mokuba said nervously. "Um—I don't think—see, Seto's _really good at chess_."

"I figured he would be." Serenity calmly laid her chessboard out on the coffee table. She began to set the pieces out. She could feel Kaiba's gaze boring into the back of her head, but she resolutely ignored it.

"But—you see—when we were adopted, the reason Gozaburo Kaiba—"

"Mokuba," Kaiba said sharply. "Not another word."

Mokuba shut up. Tristan, however, was not finished. He grabbed Serenity's shoulder to stop her from setting down Kaiba's rook. She frowned and looked up at him.

"Serenity," Tristan said warningly. " _Don't do this_."

She moved away from his hand firmly. The pieces were set. She looked at Kaiba expectantly. To her surprise, he was staring at Tristan with a very inscrutable expression on his face.

"You know," Kaiba said finally, taking a seat across from her. "Your boyfriend's probably right. Aren't you just embarrassing yourself? And your brother?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Serenity said quietly, ignoring Tristan's wince. "Make your first move."

Kaiba moved his first pawn forward. She mirrored the movement. The first plays of the game were basic defense—castling the king and rook, moving the knights into position, setting up pawns. But as the game continued, Serenity realized something.

Mokuba was not lying. Seto Kaiba was _very good_. Better than almost anyone Serenity had ever played. Her breath hitched a little when he captured her bishop but she remained calm, earning one of his knights out of the struggle. Kaiba's sneer soon turned into careful concentration. He recognized her skillset. His moves became more careful. Less arrogant. His attacks were precise and calculated, but her defense was nearly impenetrable.

When she took his bishop, she decided to speak. "Who taught you how to play chess?"

Kaiba glowered at her and didn't answer. Mokuba said quietly, "He taught himself, Serenity."

Self-taught? That was impressive. Chess was not an easy skill to learn by yourself—there was a reason community centers and universities offered chess classes. He must have been very young when he learned…after all, he took control of KaibaCorp when he was sixteen…that's what the magazines said, after all.

"How did you learn, Serenity?"

It was Yugi who asked. Kaiba's only comment to Mokuba's reply was to take one of her knights. His second bishop was getting closer and closer to her king, slowly whittling down her defenses.

"An old friend taught me long ago, when I first started going to eye doctors about my vision. I spent a lot of time in waiting rooms and hospital rooms. His name was Amemori."

Mr. Amemori. She could see his craggy, dragonish face so clearly in her mind's eye. A cranky, abrasive, thoroughly unpleasant man—who for some reason was only kind to her. She had been a frightened ten-year-old at the time, shivering in an icy waiting room while her mother talked to the doctors in low, urgent voices. Mr. Amemori had shuffled next to her and abruptly shoved a chess board in front of her.

"Let's play," He grumbled at her.

"I—I don't know how."

Amemori had snorted at this. He then took out a rook and showed it to her.

"You see this? It only goes straight across or side to side. Understand?"

She obediently scooted the rook across the board, mimicking his movements. He pulled out a small wooden horse.

"You see this? It goes in an L shape. It can hop over pieces."

And so it went. On and on, over and over, until they were playing full games. She lost every time.

But slowly and surely, though each failure, through each lost game…she got better.

When Kaiba took her queen, Yugi inhaled sharply. The queen was the most important piece, the piece that had the most power. She moved a pawn forward. The sneer reappeared on Kaiba's face. He thought she didn't have any moves left. He thought she was given up, that she was too focused on her pawns.

He wasn't paying attention.

Joey was whispering quietly and urgently to Yugi. He was asking if she was losing. Yugi's voice was low and soothing. She smiled a little at the board. To the layman, it looked a little uncertain. She had an excellent defense around her king though, but only a few scattered pawns for her offense.

She moved another pawn. That was Kaiba's weakness. So focused on breaking her defenses, on tearing through her fortress, he wasn't paying attention to her pawns.

That was why Serenity liked chess. It had a way of revealing people's strengths—and their weaknesses.

He captured her second bishop. He was very close to breaking through. But by the time he did…it would be too late.

Two more spaces. He took her knight. He was so close. But not close enough.

Her pawn had reached the other end of the board. Kaiba snapped to attention. He realized what that meant.

"A queen," Serenity said clearly. "I'd like a queen."

"Wait, what?" Tristan asked in confusion.

"If your pawn reaches the other end of the board, you can turn it into any other piece except a king," Yugi's eyes widened. "But—if she chose a queen—then that means—"

"Checkmate."

Kaiba's eyes widened. She plucked the queen from his end of the coffee table and placed it on her pawn's square. His king could not move anywhere. He was blocked in by her rook and his own knight, which he'd left as his only defense against her. His bishops and queen were focused on trying to attack her own king.

She had won.

"No way!" Mokuba exclaimed. "How did she do that?"

"Impossible," Tristan said dumbfounded. "She—she actually beat him?"

"Yeah, sis!" Joey pumped the air. "I knew you could do it!"

Kaiba continued to stare at the board. He was looking for a way out, she felt sure, looking for some last minute escape route. Many a times an over eager declared checkmate too soon. She couldn't blame him. She would do the same.

But Serenity knew chess, just as her big brother knew Duel Monsters. It was one of the few things she felt confident about.

She snapped a picture with her phone—win or loss, she always carefully catalogued the end of a chess game for study later. Kaiba watched her do this dazedly before finally standing. He exited his office without another word.

"My sister," Joey declared. "Kicks ass."

He pointed a spatula at her victoriously and Serenity giggled. She was sitting at their breakfast table drinking a revitalizing cup of coffee as her brother cooked breakfast. That was the deal—Serenity would clean, Joey would cook. Not that Serenity was a shabby cook herself, but she preferred baking. And besides, Joey seemed to get a kick out of feeding her. Maybe it assuaged his big brother instinct.

They'd been living in a sunlit studio apartment for over a year. Joey worked full-time while Serenity went to classes and searched for a part-time job. Their parents hadn't been too happy about them moving out—least of all their mother, who urged Serenity to live at home to save money.

But Serenity had been denied the greater part of her childhood with her brother. She was determined to spend the first part of her adult life with her big brother and she knew Joey felt the same. Thus far, they'd gotten along swimmingly with little to no conflict or squabbles.

"It really wasn't that big a deal, Joey," Serenity took a sip of coffee and exhaled as the bitterness tempered her senses. She loved black coffee.

"Wasn't that big a deal?!" Joey gasped in mock shock. "Sis, _you beat Kaiba._ That never happens. And didn't you see the look on his face?! He was crushed! You destroyed him!"

Serenity frowned. "I certainly hope I didn't do that. Chess is a game, Joey. It's supposed to be fun."

Joey snorted and flipped a pancake. Serenity sighed. _That_ was something the siblings would never be able to agree on—the purpose and point of games.

She wondered if Kaiba _was_ all right. She'd heard something from Tea years ago…hadn't Yugi sent him into some sort of existential crisis after losing a game of Duel Monsters?

There was a knock at the door.

Joey flipped a pancake onto a plate. "I'll get that. Breakfast is served!" He handed her the plate. She smiled as she took a bite and flipped idly through the newspaper. There was a new demonstration of sorts going on at Kaibaland. Perhaps the others would be up for going today…

Joey opened the front door and froze. He stared through the entryway, seemingly at a loss for words. Her brow quirked, Serenity scooted away from the breakfast table and rounded the corner to see what he was looking at.

She gasped. " _Mai_?!"


End file.
